New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 14 - PUBLIC UTILITIES
Chapter 5 - ELECTRIC SERVICE
Subchapter 2 - PLANT
Section 14:5-2.2 - Separation and protection of conductors buried in earth

Universal Citation: NJ Admin Code 14:5-2.2

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 6, March 18, 2024

(a) The separation between buried communication and buried supply conductors or cables shall consist of not less than 12 inches of well-tamped earth, four inches of brick or three inches of concrete.

(b) Exceptions to (a) above are as follows:

1. This separation and protection is not required where supply circuits having a potential of 550 volts or less between conductors and having a total transmitted power of not in excess of 3,200 watts are laid adjacent to communication cables, if all cables are used exclusively for the operation of a railway signal or supply system and are maintained by the same company.

2. This separation and protection is not required where supply circuits have a potential of 550 volts or less between conductors.

3. This separation and protection is not required where communication and power supply conductors or cables, which have a potential of over 550 volts between conductors are buried in a common trench at the same depth with random separation under the following conditions:
i. The electric system shall be connected with grounded neutral and a voltage not exceeding 22,000 volts to ground;

ii. The power cables shall have a concentric solidly grounded neutral. When there is no covering over the concentric neutral, grounding may be by direct burial in earth; otherwise ground rods shall be driven at all cable terminations or a separate bare copper grounding conductor not smaller than # 4 A.W.G. shall be buried in the earth not more than three inches from the power cable. All neutral and grounding conductors shall be interconnected at all power cable terminations. The power cables shall meet or exceed the test requirements of the Insulated Cable Engineers Association--National Electrical Manufacturers Association joint power cable standards, available from ICEA PO Box 1568 Carrolton, Ga 30112 and www.icea.net, for cables for transmission and distribution of electrical energy; and

iii. The communication cable shall contain a metallic sheath bonded to the electric system grounded neutral at intervals of not more than 1,000 feet.

4. No separation is required between communication and supply conductors or cables located beneath transformer switch and terminal cabinets or their supporting pads or structures.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New Jersey may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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